The Capital Area Road and Bridge District and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development have partnered to release a Request for Qualifications for pre-construction activities for a new Mississippi River Bridge and its connectors within the Capital Region.
The RFQ, released yesterday, seeks an engineering and consulting firm to conduct enhanced planning—the first stage of federally required pre-construction analyses, for which Gov. John Bel Edwards’ administration has already committed $5 million in state surplus dollars.
In a prepared statement, CARB-D chairman J.H. “Jay” Campbell says the RFQ “will help the bridge project to be shovel-ready, and will determine the bridge’s physical location, the use of potential toll fares and more essential information.”
Along with the construction of a new Mississippi River bridge, the coalition will oversee the construction of bridge connectors to Interstate 10 on the west side of the river, and to Louisiana Highway 30 on the east side of the river.
Aiming to ensure local priorities are met, CARB-D will be involved in the process of selecting a firm to conduct the analyses. District commissioners include the presidents of Ascension, East Baton Rouge, Iberville, Livingston and West Baton Rouge parishes; DOTD secretary Shawn Wilson; and a gubernatorial appointee.
The RFQ closes Aug. 29.
Original Article by Caitie Burkes at Business Report
